The Dawes Review 2: Nucleosynthesis and Stellar Yields of Low- and Intermediate-Mass Single Stars

Abstract The chemical evolution of the Universe is governed by the chemical yields from stars, which in turn are determined primarily by the initial stellar mass. Even stars as low as 0.9 M ⊙ can, at low metallicity, contribute to the chemical evolution of elements. Stars less massive than about 10 M ⊙ experience recurrent mixing events that can significantly change the surface composition of the envelope, with observed enrichments in carbon, nitrogen, fluorine, and heavy elements synthesized by the slow neutron capture process (the s -process). Low- and intermediate-mass stars release their nucleosynthesis products through stellar outflows or winds, in contrast to massive stars that explode as core-collapse…